


Oh, So It Goes (can't tell the wind which way to blow)

by ViolentlyRed



Series: Punchline of a Prophecy [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Gwen really cares, Gwen-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Punchline of a Prophecy through Gwen's POV, can be read w/out the other one though, max deserves to be happy, tag to my other fic i guess, tag to season 2 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViolentlyRed/pseuds/ViolentlyRed
Summary: She doesn't understand how a parent can just 'not' care. It really... it really breaks her heart.Or, Max hurts and Gwen cares a lot and so does David.Gwen's POV of my other fic, Punchline of a Prophecy.





	Oh, So It Goes (can't tell the wind which way to blow)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a sort-of tag to my other Camp Camp work, Punchline of a Prophecy. Can be read as a solitary peice, but if you're reading this then you'd probably really enjoy Punchline of a Prophecy, so you might as well read that one first. 
> 
> Title taken from a wonderful song: So it Goes by Hollerado, give it a listen. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 

It makes a lot of sense.

Like, a lot.

Her heart aches for the kid as he curls up in the corner, eyes brimming with tears. What really gets her, though, is when he shoves his face into his arms and hides his eyes.

 _She_ crouches next to him as David stands stunned. "Max?"

He doesn't say anything, just curls in in himself even more. _Oh, this_ _poor kid_. She feels tears of her own build behind her eyes, but she blinks them away. _Not now._ Gotta stay strong for this little asshole.

She doesn't understand how a parent can just _not_ care. Especially considering that Max is a really, really bright kid and pretty mature for his age, even if he doesn't know how to handle emotions or deal with people. It pisses her off so much, really grinds her gears, really... really breaks her heart. Because even though she hates all of these little shits, they're still her kids. And she still wants the best for them, no matter how much they try to ruin her life.

Seeing Max broken like this is uncanny. She hesitantly places a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

Max peeks up at her. His voice wobbles a bit when he speaks, though it's obvious he's trying to hold it back. "What?"

Gwen ruffles his hair and holds out a hand. Her knees creak when she stands up, _G_ _od_  she's getting too old for this shit. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Max sniffles and hesitantly takes her hand. He's trembling a little bit, and Gwen feels another pang in her heart. God, this kid is just intent on destroying her today, huh?

She walks over and nudges David. "Hey. Let's go, huh? Pizza."

He nods, smiling sadly. "I was just gonna say the same thing."

They escape the stage and everyone and herd Max to the campmobile.

Max curls up in the back seat and Gwen leans over to David as she peels down the darkened dusty road. "I really wanna kill his parents right now."

Glancing at Max in the rearview mirror, David shakes his head and sighs.

\---

Someone calls her name.

Gwen immediately knows that something is wrong. Neil is standing over Max, who's hunched over and breathing hard.

"Shit." Gwen runs over and crouches next to the kid. He's panting, eyes bulging out of his head, shaking like a leaf. "Shit! David!" she calls hurriedly.

David is over in an instant, talking softly to Max.

Everyone is hushed, watching the scene before them with bated breath. The parents look concerned.

"Where is that boy's parents?" a mother asks.

Gwen feels a little sick. "They didn't show up."

She turns around and ushers everyone into the mess hall for pudding that is supposed to be eaten tomorrow. _Improvisation is key, people_ , she thinks in Preston's voice.

Gwen is getting really, really worried as she dishes out pudding cups and plastic spoons. It's hard to remember sometimes that despite the sass and the swearing and the adult concepts, Max is still just a kid. A lonely kid with shitty parents at a very questionable summer camp.

She peers out the window and sees Max curled in David's arms. Her heart hurts a little more after that, but it's a good kind of hurt, she guesses. Thank God David's David, or Max would have destroyed this camp. Max would have destroyed himself.

The latter is kind of way more important.

She makes Neil's dad and Nikki's mom sit on opposite sides of their children and puts an unopened pudding cup inbetween Neil and Nikki.

Neil looks up at her. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Gwen also forgets that despite their shenanigans, these kids really do care for each other. She sighs and pushes a piece of hair out of her face, mustering a small, lame smile for Neil's sake. "Yeah, kid. Max'll be fine."

A little while later, David and Max come in. Max looks rough, red-rimmed and puffy eyes, flushed face. Nikki stands up in her seat and waves.

Max comes over and sits between his friends and they get him to smile pretty easily. The three of them talk about stupid shit and Neil's dad and Nikki's mom make bedroom eyes at each other over the children's heads, and all is right with the world for now, Gwen supposes.

David stands next to her. Together, they stare at the sea of campers and parents that occupy their mess hall.

"Is he okay?"

"I think he will be," David answers introspectively, and that's not the answer Gwen wanted. Even though she already knew he wasn't.

Gwen sighs and rests her forehead on David's shoulder for a second. "Never thought I'd say it, but somehow that kid managed to worm his way into our hearts."

David sighs through his nose. "I hope he knows how important he is to us."

Max looks up at the two of them for the briefest of moments and quirks his mouth into a sad little smile. Then it's gone, head snapped back toward his friends and walls back up, laughing with his friends and plotting their next day.

Gwen smiles softly to herself and picks up an empty pudding cup on the ground. "Something tells me he knows more than we think."

 

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
